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Top Ten Viruses And Hoaxes Reported To Sophos In Feb 2006

Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses, spyware and spam, has revealed the top ten viruses ...

on 2006-03-03 06:20:48

Trojan horse bursts into chart on back of spammed attack

Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses, spyware and spam, has revealed the top ten viruses and hoaxes causing problems for businesses around the world during the month of February 2006.

The report, compiled from Sophos's global network of monitoring stations, reveals that a Trojan horse, Clagger-G, has infiltrated the chart this month, demonstrating that today's financially motivated threats use a combination of malware and spam technology. Nyxem-D, dubbed the Kama Sutra worm, has crept up from fourth to second position, showing the success of its erotic camouflage.

Nyxem-D was first detected on 18 January and is still gathering momentum, accounting for 9.3% of this month's reported malware. The email worm uses a variety of pornographic disguises in an attempt to spread and disable security software.

However, this headline-grabbing worm has failed to topple old-timer Netsky-P, which has climbed back to the number one spot after three months in the shadow of Sober-Z, programmed to stop spreading on 6 January 2006. Netsky-P was first detected in March 2004, and has relentlessly blighted unprotected users ever since.

Most interesting is the appearance of Trojan horse, Clagger-G, in the chart this month at number eight, which is a clear demonstration of mass spamming holding its own against self-spreading malware.

"In order for this Clagger Trojan to make an appearance in the top ten, it must have been spammed out to millions and millions of email addresses worldwide," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. "Trojan horses, which cannot spread on their own, account for roughly two-thirds of all reported malware. Rather than mass bombardment, most Trojan creators focus on small targeted groups to pilfer cash and sensitive information."

Bagle-Zip has burst into the chart at number three, while Bagle-CH, first detected on 7 February, has entered the chart at number seven.

"Businesses and individuals without computer protection in place are living in cloud-cuckoo-land - these worms can wreak havoc on a network but are easily controlled if an effective security policy is in place," continued Theriault.

Sophos's research shows that 1.1% or one in 90 emails is viral. The company now identifies and protects against a total of 119,192 email threats, an increase of 1,132 on last month.

The top ten hoaxes and chain letters in February 2006 were as follows:

"The Olympic Torch hoax is plaguing users this month, riding on the back of worldwide fascination with the Winter Olympics," continued Theriault. "Many people have panicked when faced with this hoax because it warns users to be wary of emails with the subject line 'Invitation' - claiming that it is 'the most destructive virus ever'. Not only do these emails gobble up bandwidth, they also waste time and genuinely cause some victims to worry unduly."

For more information about safe computing, including anti-hoax policies, please visit: www.sophos.com/virusinfo/bestpractice

About Sophos
Sophos is a world leader in integrated threat management solutions, developing protection against viruses, spyware, spam and policy abuse for business, education and government. Headquartered in the UK, Sophos's reliably-engineered, easy-to-operate products protect more than 35 million users in more than 150 countries. Through 20 years' experience and a global network of threat analysis centres, the company responds rapidly to emerging threats - no matter how complex - and achieves the highest levels of customer satisfaction in the industry.

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